I'm Curious about rated towing Capacity and GAWR

I'd like to find out what the towing capacity of my 1990 F150 is- more specifically how much can you attach to the back of it and tow/haul. the KBB site tells me its about 8100lbs but The GAWR for the rear axle is something in the neighborhood of 3200lbs.

I hear that GAWR affects the weight you can put on each axle but i don't know if that affects the amount you can pull or just the max tongue weight or what..

 

GAWR is what that axle weighs when you put it on a scale. Tongue weight will be the biggest factor in that. Your real towing capacity depends on several things - GVWR, GAWR, GCWR, and max towing capacity. You will almost always run out of something before you run out of the advertised towing capacity. Do people tow over limits? Yep, every day.

I doubt a 1990 is rated for 8100, by the way. That sounds more like a F-250 rating back then.

 

Yeah That makes sense Cause i did the same math with a lot of trucks and ppl tow 10,000+lbs with 1500s and F150s and those other factos limit the real towing cap to like 7000 or so..

The Maximum GVWR is 6250lbs
The Rear GWR is 3800Lbs and i cant figure out what the GCWR is


Yeah i was surprised too but the site is right here
http://www.kbb.com/used-cars/technic...nt=426134|true

it is still sort of an Okay rating by today's standards though..We have a 2002 Chevy 1500 4.8L V8 that is rated at 8800.

 

GCWR is the total allowed weight of the truck and the trailer.

That 8100 figure is the absolute highest of any 1990 F-150. It's body style, 4x2 or 4x4, engine, transmission, and axle ratio dependent.

 

Yeah that make sense, but now i still need to figure out the actual towing capacity. Where might i find out the GCWR?

 

I assume you don't have an owner's manual?

What's the details on the truck - body style, drivetrain, etc.?

 

No i wish i did but it's long gone..

It's a 1990 F150 Custom 5.0 V8
Single Cab 2WD Automatic Transmission Im not sure what the other specs are..

 

Look on the door jamb sticker and post the trans and axle codes, please. Verify the various weight specs on it too. Long bed or short bed?

 

Okay the Rear GAWR is 3800lbs, Front GAWR is 2650, The GVWR is 6250.

The Trans code is T and the axle code is 19

Oh and its a long bed

 

my max tow capacity is 9200lb, so i can see 8100 as being reasonable if you have the tow package, high (numerically) gears, and all the other options that affect tow rating.

 

The owner's manual has a detailed procedure for calculating max cargo weight & GCWR for each truck, using the GAWRs, reserve pounds, engine, trans, & other factors. Try eBay, Half.com, & your local junkyards. I mainly collect Bronco parts, so I don't have a '90 F150 set.

Huh??? Gross Axle Weight Rating is the max load you can put on the axle; not what the axle weighs. A fullsize solid 8.8" only weighs about 300 lbs.

 

You know what I meant. The axle is still attached to the truck when you weigh it on a scale.......

You have 3.55 gears, which is fairly good, but an AOD transmission, which is not so good. Between that and the relative lack of torque in a 302, I probably wouldn't try to tow much over 5000#.

 

i have a 95 f150 with the 4.9 six and the e40d trans, i have heard that the 4.9 six and the e40d trans is great for towing is that true?

 

5000lbs sounds fair enough for me. Now i just need to condition it's suspension...What are the most important things/ parts to look at or replace if worn? Shocks? Springs? leaf springs??

 

Hey another thing i noticed i was wondering if anyone knew about...That same site that told me my 1990 F150 was rated at 8100lbs also told me that a 1997 chevy C-1500 ext cab short bed with a 5.7L engine could only tow 7500lbs and i laughed and said it was cause it's a chevy; But joking aside is that a true rating? if so why?